Tesla buys Grohmann Engineering to speed up electric car manufacturing

AppleInsider

While Apple is still deciding whether or not to design its own electric car, Tesla has announced its acquisition of Grohmann Engineering, which could help dramatically increase output of the Model S, X, and 3.

The takeover -- expected to close by early 2017 -- will rechristen Grohmann as Tesla's Advanced Automation facility in Germany, dedicated to further automating and streamlining manufacturing, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. Tesla said that it expects "exponential improvements" in both the speed and quality of its output, lowering production costs in the process.

Despite the focus on automation, the German facility is expected to add as many as 1,000 engineering and technician jobs in the next two years -- more than doubling Grohmann's current 700-strong workforce.

"We thought it was important that Tesla become, in part, a German company," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "That's what this was all about."

The two firms have been in a partnership for several months, which Tesla CTO J.B. Straubel said led to the belief they could do more as a combined entity.

Tesla has declared ambitions of becoming a mainstream car manufacturer, mainly via the Model 3, which will cost only $35,000 before any government incentives. Preorders have been so intense, though, that the company has been scrambling to ramp up production as fast as possible. Part of this will hinge on its battery-oriented Gigafactory in Nevada, which is already operational but won't hit full capacity until 2018.

Apple's first electric car project is in limbo. While the company is still believed to be developing self-driving technology, it may not decide until late next year whether it wants to resume creating its own car or partner with an established automaker.

SpamSandwich

They must've gotten some sweet financial incentives to do this.

cali

Ugh I want to see an Apple Car already! These cars don't look futuristic at all.

jmgregory1

Good for Tesla. They're making the right moves and have the big picture view of their future, which it seems most other car makers just do not have. Forget about an Apple car. That's one product I have zero interest in, and I've been a big Apple follower and user since the early '80's.

cali

jmgregory1 said:

Good for Tesla. They're making the right moves and have the big picture view of their future, which it seems most other car makers just do not have. Forget about an Apple car. That's one product I have zero interest in, and I've been a big Apple follower and user since the early '80's.

You've never seen the Apple Car, no one has. So how can you have interest or non-interested in it?

this is the same song we hear before every Apple product.

All I know is these electric cars look really old school. I could guarantee you Apple would bring something fresh to the market that we'd all want.

ireland

jmgregory1 said:

Good for Tesla. They're making the right moves and have the big picture view of their future, which it seems most other car makers just do not have. Forget about an Apple car. That's one product I have zero interest in, and I've been a big Apple follower and user since the early '80's.

Adapt or die.

MacPro

Go Elon!  I can't wait for the day I have one of his garage wall batteries and some solar panels on the roof.  Living in Florida and having to pay a utility $200 month in this day and age is ludicrous. 

sirlance99

cali said:

Ugh I want to see an Apple Car already! These cars don't look futuristic at all.

Ugh! Apple will do no better. 

sirlance99

cali said:

jmgregory1 said:

Good for Tesla. They're making the right moves and have the big picture view of their future, which it seems most other car makers just do not have. Forget about an Apple car. That's one product I have zero interest in, and I've been a big Apple follower and user since the early '80's.

You've never seen the Apple Car, no one has. So how can you have interest or non-interested in it?

this is the same song we hear before every Apple product.

All I know is these electric cars look really old school. I could guarantee you Apple would bring something fresh to the market that we'd all want.

I can guarantee that not "all" would want whatever Apple produces. 

entropys

digitalclips said:

Go Elon!  I can't wait for the day I have one of his garage wall batteries and some solar panels on the roof.  Living in Florida and having to pay a utility $200 month in this day and age is ludicrous. 

As long as you are prepared to pay the real price for those batteries and panels, rather than get everyone else to subsidise them for you, go for it!

motoman2wh3

entropys said:

digitalclips said:

Go Elon!  I can't wait for the day I have one of his garage wall batteries and some solar panels on the roof.  Living in Florida and having to pay a utility $200 month in this day and age is ludicrous. 

As long as you are prepared to pay the real price for those batteries and panels, rather than get everyone else to subsidise them for you, go for it!

Actually the incentives accelerate adoption, which lowers costs. Same free-market principle as here, where Tesla hopes to lower unit costs thru greater volumes. It's outrageous beyond belief that the govt's of FL and NV, two of our sunniest states, actually go the opposite direction due to the energy lobbies....

k2kw

cali said:

jmgregory1 said:

Good for Tesla. They're making the right moves and have the big picture view of their future, which it seems most other car makers just do not have. Forget about an Apple car. That's one product I have zero interest in, and I've been a big Apple follower and user since the early '80's.

You've never seen the Apple Car, no one has. So how can you have interest or non-interested in it?

this is the same song we hear before every Apple product.

All I know is these electric cars look really old school. I could guarantee you Apple would bring something fresh to the market that we'd all want.

Apple has wised up.   They are to far behind and are not going to embarrass themselves by trying to catch up to Tesla.

crowley

cali said:

jmgregory1 said:

Good for Tesla. They're making the right moves and have the big picture view of their future, which it seems most other car makers just do not have. Forget about an Apple car. That's one product I have zero interest in, and I've been a big Apple follower and user since the early '80's.

You've never seen the Apple Car, no one has. So how can you have interest or non-interested in it?

Apple Perfume.  I have zero interest in what those words suggest to me.

noivad

cali said:

jmgregory1 said:

Good for Tesla. They're making the right moves and have the big picture view of their future, which it seems most other car makers just do not have. Forget about an Apple car. That's one product I have zero interest in, and I've been a big Apple follower and user since the early '80's.

You've never seen the Apple Car, no one has. So how can you have interest or non-interested in it?

this is the same song we hear before every Apple product.

All I know is these electric cars look really old school. I could guarantee you Apple would bring something fresh to the market that we'd all want.

You contradict your own argument in the start of your reply: “no one has seen [Apple Car]…but they would bring something new … [everyone] wants.” Telsa’s designs are an improvement in an iterative process. It is easy to compare the changes in design between decades of cars and see it easily, but when you are living through the current cycle, advances will seem slow because car design is mature — it’s already over 100 years old. The “look” or a car, while important, isn’t going to change very much. The exterior look of current and future cars is dependent, in part, on advances in aerodynamic design to reduce drag while balancing manufacturing costs of machining parts to reduce drag & expenses. What will continue to change is that sections of the vehicle will continue to be refined to blend with each other seamlessly. That’s an easy prediction. But what Apple would offer in terms of body style depends on the target market(s), which is also ripe for speculation. As for an onboard OS, we can see what Apple would offer— in part — with current CarPlay options, and can speculate Apple would integrate more advanced electronics and better UIs for accessing status (dashboard), and diagnostic information. That would be welcome by most, but no doubt Apple would be conservative with other specs, leading me to believe a first effort would be an overall non-starter. But again, I’m speculating based on Apple’s history of design, and can’t guarantee the — no one can.

macgui

sirlance99 said:I can guarantee that not "all" would want whatever Apple produces. 

You are absolutely correct! Some would hate it for absolutely no other reason than it was an Apple product, without ever seeing it or knowing anything about it, except that it would be from Apple.

Some would actually make objective decisions and offer sound reasoning as to why it wasn't for them. Their reasoning would be lost amongst all the noise.

macgui

None of Musk's cars look futuristic. They're very contemporary in styling. I think keeping them contemporary is a very deliberate part of the design process. VERY FEW people want something that is 'futuristic' looking. Most people want something nice looking but 'normal'. What looks 'nice' is subjective, and there will always be That Guy who just has to say something eloquent like 'Duuh, that thing sucks' for whatever passes for reason in their head.

For form, it's the new normal that will sell, not 'futuristic'. So let anybody and everybody bring something to the showroom floor and we'll vote with our wallets. Choice is good.